Statement from Democracy for America Chair Jim Dean on Rachel Rollins' victory in the race for Suffolk County (MA) District Attorney:

"Rachel Rollins win in her race for Suffolk County (MA) District Attorney is a critical victory for everyone who believes that leadership change is a critical component of the criminal justice reform our country desperately needs.

"Like the victories of Kimm Fox in Illinois' Cook County, Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, and, more recently, Wesley Bell in Missouri, Rachel Rollins' win underscores the hunger voters have for prosecutors who have a heartfelt commitment to justice not in some abstract, academic sense of the word, but in the lived experiences of survivors, perpetrators, the accused, and the communities we share.

"The fight to end cash bail, mass incarceration, and the systemic racism undergirding much of our criminal justice system doesn't start in Washington or a state capitol building, it begins with victories in races for bold, justice-focused District Attorneys like Rachel Rollins. That's why we were honored to stand with Rachel in her primary and we look forward to fighting alongside her through November and beyond." -- Jim Dean, Chair, Democracy for America

That episode and others offered clues to how Ocasio-Cortez and her social media practices fit into a national legislature that’s slowly becoming younger, less male and more diverse. The approach Ocasio-Cortez is modeling — and the political world is studying — gives her a measure of control by communicating directly with constituents and responding to critics in close to real time.

“She knows how to navigate this space in a way that others don’t,” said Yvette Simpson, incoming CEO of Democracy for America, a progressive political action committee. Also, Simpson pointed out, “She’s not accountable to that power structure” in Congress. “She’s accountable to the group that put her there.”